Contract Readiness Toolkit

Before you bid

Buyers disqualify most small suppliers on paperwork, not price. Clear these first.

• Active registration in the buyer's supplier portal (SAM.gov for federal)
• Current certifications: MBE, 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or state equivalents
• Certificate of insurance at the coverage levels named in the solicitation
• Bonding letter or a written explanation of your bonding path
• Two years of financial statements and a current W-9

Build the bid file

• Capability statement tailored to this buyer's commodity codes
• Three past-performance references with contact details and dollar values
• Key personnel resumes limited to one page each
• Pricing worksheet showing labor, materials, overhead and margin
• Signed representations and certifications pages

Scoring your own response

Score each requirement 0-2 before submitting: 0 means not addressed, 1 means stated, 2 means proven with evidence. Anything scoring 0 or 1 is where you lose points.